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Lord Flashheart

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    03 & 05 in O gauge

    in Heljan

    Posted

    14 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

    Thanks! So there's no need for me to make a quick decision.

     

    Having done a bit more research I can't justify an industrial one in my region and time period, but there were at least four BR ones which frequented Trafford Park sidings in the 1966-68 period: D2373, D2389, D2390, D2391. D2392 was also there for a short period in 1966-7.

    Here's D2390 seen in Stockport in 1967:

    http://manlocosoc.co.uk/sutherland/slide-webone-off.cgi?ws-030&71

    There are photos of both D2391 and D2392 in Warrington in 1963, before they were transferred to Longsight:

    https://railphotoprints.uk/p426458760

    All are in green with wasp stripes.

    Hattons are offering green without wasp stripes, or yellow with wasp stripes. I think I'm talking myself out of it, but there are possibilities for a partial repaint of either.

    Now, would it be easier to paint wasp stripes on a green one, or paint the remainder of a yellow one into green? ...

     

    The spacing of the bonnet end wasp stripes is different on the yellow one compared to green or blue ones, the section over the top is black but the top stripe on the yellow one is aswell. 

    If you look at prototype photos compared to the yellow one you'll see what I mean, I nearly bought one to paint green until I realised so got a blue one instead. 

     

    Rob

    • Informative/Useful 1
    • Interesting/Thought-provoking 1

    Neil's Hydraulic pics

    in Diesel Hydraulic Group

    Posted

    On 26/10/2021 at 22:13, Phil Bullock said:


    No contest Bob although I think the diesel electric lobby May bristle at that…

    Nah,that'll just be the duff bashers,but they don't count as they've spent so long in air cons they don't remember what a 47 sounds like anymore. 

     

    Rob

    • Funny 2

    For those interested in old buses (and coaches)

    in Wheeltappers

    Posted

    On 14/10/2021 at 12:03, alastairq said:

     Oh, how I used to wish the EYMS deckers I once drove on the 121 service [based from Driffield], has summat to cut down the interior reflections on dark winter's nights...out of sight of streetlamps???

    Trying to maintain a semblance of 'time' with Bristol VRs, Leyland  Limp-ones, etc was a nightmare if one wished to not 'leave' intending rural passengers, stood at their usual trees/bus stops, gateholes, etc, at night.  Or run down the frequent rural cyclist [not much pleasure/leisure cycling round hereabouts in those days..anyone on a pushbike was either going to work, going home from work, or doing the shopping...not like today's lycra-clad wombles!]

     

    Measuring up the part of the windscreen through which one could actually see the very vague headlights, resulted in almost 4/5ths of the screen, from in front, to the left, being obscured bright reflections, and visuals of the old farts sitting on the left picking their noses.  The little screen to the rear of the doors, whilst equipped with a blind, which was a token gesture, was no help at all. Being able to switch off the left side interior lights helped a bit..but meant a passenger 'could not read a newspaper' when sat there.

    Yet, despite frequent warnings, complaints by drivers, etc...nothing much was ever done to address the issue.  it didn't matter in the cities & towns, with street lighting.....but the 121 service was a very rural interurban route.

    Nothing really improved until the mid-1990s, when the depot was issued with a fleet of very long Volvo/Alexander deckers, all kitted out on the EYMS Classic line scheme.

    The other nice thing about those [tram-like, in my view] volvos was, we could now overtake cyclists out on the open road, with impunity. whereas with the Olympians[and VRs], much planning & route knowledge had to be employed in order to overtake a push bike... Same with trakKeters....nowt worse than a bus whose gearbox and engine was ''all in'' ,top gear at 32 mph!! No revs to change down, not a lot of acceleration [non existent usually] to pass summat doing 31 mph....One had to know where all the little downhill dips were on the route, to help increase speed..Then one had to know where one could see far enough ahead, clearly, to make sure nowt was coming the other way [unusual]..The new Volvos obviated all of that..plus they were comfy to drive...[unlike the VRs, which had solid wrought iron{!} control columns, immoveable, right hard up agin one's knees...I now suffer from knee pains, etc, from those days...ruddy icy cold they were, in the depths of winter....

    One cannot imagine as a modern day bus driver, so used to being able to whizz up to 50 mph in comfort, what it was like to see 50 after several miles...only to have to stop to pick someone up, and start all over again.

    I don't recall much, if any, time being slashed off the 121 timings after we got the Volvos...?  Which said a lot about the time-keeping of the old machines?

     

    Usually, time was only made up by running straight in & out at either end [Hull, or Scarborough]...too bad if one needed a pee?

    Woe betide anyone who left the next driver to make up for lost time, when changing over at Driffield!!!  No excuses for being 'late' for changeover!!  No amount of apologising to the next driver really washed!  Nowt worse than starting one's shift by getting into a sweat trying to 'make' time....

    Of course, sweating is unheard of these days for drivers......

    Interesting to hear things from a drivers point of view, I grew up in Elloughton in the 80s/90s and lived(parents still do) just round the corner from the depot,the main buses allocated there was the Bristol VR so I've always had a big soft spot for them,when the Olympians started taking over followed by more modern vehicles I lost a lot of interest, similar story for a lot of us with railways I guess.

     

    Rob

    • Like 2
    • Agree 2

    Matt varnish/lacquer?

    in Weathering, Painting & Transfers

    Posted

    On 21/07/2021 at 23:21, Ben Alder said:

     

    I have used the gloss a lot, not just for railways, and find it fine. However, don't touch the matt and satin with a bargepole....

    Likewise I've used the gloss quite a bit and had no problems,what issues did you have with the others?.

     

    Rob

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